Conclusions

Cooler Master has combined brute size with innovative engineering to produce one of the highest performing heatsink fans on the planet.  The superbly finished solid copper base, six heat pipes and large fin surface area excel at transferring heat and keeping the CPU cool.  The Hyper 6 fit and finish is excellent (as we would expect from Cooler Master 🙂

 

Unfortunately, the overall experience was tarnished by two minor shortcomings.  First, the variable speed 80mm fan supplied with the Hyper 6 is downright noisy.  For its size, speed and rated airflow this fan is unacceptable when the cooler is being promoted as ultra silent.  Second, the mounting clips proved difficult to use and are not nearly as user friendly as other popular P4 and K8 cooler mounting schemes.

 

The fan situation can be easily remedied by replacing the supplied fan with a new one of your choice.  For all-out performance, try a big Delta or Tornado, but bring your ear plugs.  For a quiet cooling solution, go with a nice Panaflo, Papst or SilenX model.

 

And let’s not forget size and weight, which happens to be both an asset and liability.  Once you have it installed, the Hyper6 HSF seems to be securely clamped in the retention mechanism.  For desktop platforms this should be a non-issue but for the majority of mid-tower case owners that have the Hyper 6 cantilevered out into space, their may be cause for concern, especially if you have to move your computer around a lot.

 

Bottom line; if you’re seeking the ultimate high-performance air-cooling solution for your P4 or K8 system, the Cooler Master Hyper 6 HSF is one of the best there is.  With a street price of $49.99 USD, the Hyper 6 is a good value as well.  I would like to thank Cooler Master for sending us the Hyper 6 to review!

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